On Monday evening, Texas infielder Ethan Mendoza announced that he would return for his senior season with the Horns.
"Let's run it back," Mendoza wrote on Instagram, including the Hook'Em emoji and the hashtag "omahorns."
Over the last two seasons, Mendoza became a staple of the Texas Longhorns' starting lineup, stepping into the lineup as a powerful designated hitter and into the role of a leader in the program.
Now, head coach Jim Schlossnagle gets another year with his DH, and with Mendoza's return, the Horns' projected lineup for the 2027 season is starting to settle into place.
Predicting 2027 Texas baseball starting lineup
Mendoza will likely slide back into a starting role on the defensive side of the ball at second base, a position he stepped in to play over the last two seasons.
- CATCHER: Ian Armstrong
- 1ST BASE: Casey Borba
- 2ND BASE: Ethan Mendoza
- 3RD BASE: Linkin Garcia
- SHORTSTOP: Adrian Rodriguez
- LEFT FIELD: Anthony Pack Jr.
- CENTER FIELD: Jonah Williams
- RIGHT FIELD: Payton Brennan
- DESIGNATED HITTER: Swayer Soliteria
- STARTING PITCHER(S): Sam Cozart, Dylan Volantis, Ethan Walker
Fellow returning stars like Casey Borba, Adrian Rodriguez, and Anthony Pack Jr. will most likely keep their fielding positions at first base, shortstop, and left field, respectively.
Meanwhile, Schlossnagle's big-time transfer portal acquisitions, including Ian Armstrong (Saint Mary's), Linkin Garcia (Texas Tech), Payton Brennan (UCLA), and Swayer Solitaria (Kent State), will probably earn starting jobs for the Longhorns.
Returning from injury, two-sport athlete Jonah Williams, who also suits up for the Texas football team, will likely edge out Trevor Goldenetz, a sophomore transfer from Long Beach State, for the final outfielder position.
When it comes to who starts on the mound for Texas, it will be the usual suspects, barring any injuries. Rising sophomore Sam Cozart, junior Dylan Volantis, and senior Ethan Walker will fill out the starting lineup for Schlossnagle and the Longhorns.
The biggest losses to the Horns' lineup this season were to the MLB Draft, including star outfielder Aiden Robbins and catcher Carson Tinney. However, Texas also suffered a few losses to the transfer portal:
- Maddox Monsour, sophomore, outfielder
- Will Hill, freshman, outfielder
- Jadyn Furgason, freshman, right-handed pitcher
- Cooper Rummel, freshman, right-handed pitcher
- Presley Courville, freshman, catcher
- Andrew Ermis, junior, catcher
- Kade Bing, junior, left-handed pitcher
- Callum Early, sophomore, infielder
- Jason Flores, sophomore, right-handed pitcher
- Ashton Larson, junior, outfielder
Also read: Texas baseball transfer portal tracker: Time for Horns to build a CWS-winning roster
However, even with those departures, the Longhorns are looking in perfect form to return to the NCAA Baseball Tournament next season, if not make another run to the College World Series in Omaha.
Add us as a preferred source on Google